Cheesehead Run Half Marathon 2019 Review

The Cheesehead Run has been on our list for a while now! The thought of a cheesy themed race with runners donning massive cheese hats to run 13.1 miles really appealed to us! We paired this race with 13.wine in Baroda, MI to make the perfect cheese and wine weekend!

Our costumes for the Cheesehead Run of course involved Cheesehead hats and visors! Pretty cheesy!

Cheesehead Run Half Marathon Course

Luckily for us, the course was almost entirely flat. Coming
from Florida, even a race touted as “flat” in the northern region of the
country can really be misleading! The course was a balloon shape with a 3-mile
string or tail. This means the first and last three miles of our race were the same
(in different directions) and the remaining 7 miles were a loop!

The second half of the balloon shape was on a “rails to trails” dirt/gravel trail.

Visually, the course wasn’t too exciting. Much like our other
races in the Midwest, we found ourselves surrounded by sweeping farmland views.
It was challenging to break this race up into chunks, as we didn’t pass any
landmarks or notable points of interest. We recommend having a fantastic
playlist or running buddy to take you through this course!

Cheesehead Run Pre-Race and Post-Race Party

Since we couldn’t find too many options to eat in the
Hilbert area, we decided to take advantage of the pasta buffet at the Village Hearthstone
before the race. We were able to grab our packets and enjoy a great buffet
dinner designed for runners. The buffet boasted a variety of pasta and fish
options – plus amazing cookies! We found this option to be a great value and convenient
as well!

The after party for the Cheesehead Run was great! Offering a slew of food options and two different beers!

After the race, Village Hearthstone provided a great spread
as well. Even as some of the last runners coming through the finish chute,
there was still plenty of fresh food available. Breakfast items like oatmeal
and pastries were available as well as lunch options like nachos! Plus, those
amazing cookies were back again!

Cheesehead Run Costumes

The race photos from previous years highlighted runners in
cheesy attire. There was even a raffle for Green Bay Packers tickets – the raffle
being exclusive to costumed runners. Turns out, “costume” was used pretty loosely.
Our cheesy attire really stood out! We made friends with some other runners who
had opted for cheese crowns! We encourage anyone who completes this race to
select their favorite cheese hat!

Visiting Hilbert, WI

Hilbert, WI is a small town located in between Appleton and
Chilton. We chose to stay in Chilton as we were heading south to Michigan after
the race anyway. Both towns had great charm and a nice historic feel to them;
however, they were lacking many options for food or groceries. Many of the
local grocery stores fell victim to one large Walmart that obviously closed their
competitors over time. We struggled to find restaurants that offered dietary restriction
friendly food, or quite frankly even restaurants with Yelp reviews. We would recommend
taking your long weekend and visiting a larger city post-race!

Overall, this race ultimately fell below our expectations.
We expected more costumes, a better on course experience, and more to do in the
nearby town. If you’re looking for a solid race for Wisconsin, this is a nice
option, but it wouldn’t be our only recommendation. The big highlight is a 4-hour
finish time limit, so this is a great half marathon option for beginners!